Gilberto gains strength from the Vieira bond

For once Gilberto Silva's English falters. He is trying to find a meaningful enough word to describe his relationship with his captain, and midfield partner, Patrick Vieira. "I think he is like..." The voice trails away, the eyes look for help. A brother? "Yes, because we understand each other," says the Brazilian, relieved. Behind him, the television at Arsenal's sleek training ground in London Colney flickers. Amazingly, there, on the lunchtime sports bulletin, is a picture of Vieira alongside a statement, a reiteration, pledging his future to the deposed champions.

Gilberto's "brother" will be missing next Saturday for the FA Cup final, however. Injury has caught up with him, exacerbated by his extraordinary performance in overcoming Chelsea in the last eight, and denuding Arsenal of their pivotal player at the decisive point of the season. The frustration felt by the manager, Arsène Wenger, over the injury is palpable.

Gilberto, too, is struggling – not that he would admit it – and is unlikely to play today in the last, admittedly meaningless, League game of the season at Sunderland. Fatigue has caught up with him after an extraordinary 18 months. His performances of late have been a disappointment.

"The Invisible Wall", as he was dubbed last summer, because of his seamless efficiency, has become anonymous at times. Against Leeds United last Sunday, in the game that surrendered the Premiership, he appeared almost punch-drunk with tiredness. Passes went astray, his running was lethargic.

It is little wonder. During the last year and a half, the 26-year-old, quietly spoken and unassuming, has broken into his national team from nowhere, won the World Cup, in which he played every minute of Brazil's games, and earned himself a dream £4.5m move to Europe. There was no time for pre-season training. He then scored on his Arsenal debut at the Millennium Stadium, in the Community Shield, and struck the fastest goal ever in the Champions' League (at 20.04 seconds against PSV Eindhoven). Remarkably, just three years ago he was, as a defender, regarded as too inconsistent and had dropped out of the Brazilian top flight after breaking his leg. Unsurprisingly, he says of his recent experience: "It has been the best year of my life." Gilberto has also become a father in that time.

The Brazilian will now appear in Cardiff again. "I have played finals before," he says in modest reference to that day last summer in Yokohama against Germany. "I know how difficult they are. But I had a good experience, it was fantastic and now I have the chance to play in another final for Arsenal."

While registering 49 appearances for the north London club this season, he has also crossed back and forth to South America – and, once, China – to play for his country. "It is very hard," he says, with meaning.

Unsurprisingly Gilberto has sought – and welcomed – a bond with Vieira, a fellow World Cup winner, from France 98, of course. "I think me and Patrick have nearly the same style of play," he says, wiggling his fingers to demonstrate. "When I go forward, he stays back. When he goes, I stay. Normally we stay together, play together." A Portuguese interpreter is present but Gilberto carries on. This is his first interview in English – having, matches permitting, undergone two hours of lessons a day since his arrival. He wants to succeed.

"We spend a lot of time together, on the training ground and off the pitch, in restaurants," says Gilberto, who has now bought a home near London Colney, off the M25. "It is near Edu," he says with a grin in reference to his countryman, and fellow midfielder, who has quickly introduced him to the Brazilian eateries of the capital and, at times, acted as his guide. "When I am with Patrick we talk about normal things, my life in Brazil, his life in France. When I was a child, when he was a child," Gilberto says.

Again, another point of reference. Despite his protestations – "I had a good life, although it was different" – the Brazilian grew up on the breadline. Yes, he wanted to be a footballer but in Lagoa da Prata in the province of Minas Gerais there were mouths to feed – his father Nisio was struggling and there was his mother Maria Isabel and three sisters, Jane, Juscelia and Joelma. For a while, three years to be precise, Gilberto the teenager turned away from football and worked as a labourer.

Vieira, also, from the streets of Dakar, in his native Senegal, and then, as a youngster in the immigrant suburb of Trappes in Paris, knew hard times.

Naturally, the warmth between the two is genuine. Both are strong advocates of encouraging children from similar backgrounds as themselves into sport. "He [Patrick] is a great player and a good person and all the time we are talking about football and our private lives like good friends, like we have known each other for a long time," says Gilberto.

What does his family think now he is a Premiership footballer? "I think today my family is very happy with me," he laughs. And is he? "I am happy but I should be happier," Gilberto says. "This year I wanted to win the Premiership and Champions' League."

That disappointment is unmistakable. "In my mind I had a little chance to still be a champion if we had won against Leeds," he adds. Although Gilberto stops short of saying it, it is clear that, in truth, the FA Cup means much, much less to him. "I now know the importance of the FA Cup," he insists but then adds: "It is a big thing, but not really around the world."

While he watched English league games and the Champions' League as a player with his former clubs Americas and Atletico Mineiro, he cannot recall an FA Cup final ever being shown in Brazil. Still, victory would provide some consolation. "We learnt many things this season," he says. "We lost many chances to win some games and next year we will be stronger."

Gilberto – although relatively slight – has found it easy to adapt to the English game and praises it for being "more technical" than people credit. In fact, his description suggests it is easier than in Brazil. "The biggest difference is the pitches and the weather," he says. "Here the pitches are better than in Brazil and the weather is good for playing football. In Brazil it is too hot."

But isn't the football too physical, too fast, too demanding? "No," he says dismissively. "The main difference and the main thing is the same," he adds from bitter experience. "It is difficult to win the championship." A cup, of course, may be a little easier.